


No One Can Hear You Scream

by SnappleNinja



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Cages, Claustrophobia, Dehydration, Emotionless Garmadon, Heat Stroke, Hunted was kinda dark so why not, Implied/Referenced Torture, Psychological Torture, Screaming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 13:35:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18621685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnappleNinja/pseuds/SnappleNinja
Summary: (Oneshot) "Strangely enough, the Emperor just stood there as he had for the whole time, watching his son convulse and shake like an animal.  His blood red eyes narrowed and his mouth began to curve into a bit of a smile before returning to a straight line."(Set during Hunted when Harumi successfully captures Lloyd at the Garbage Depot instead of him getting away in the Battle Wagon)





	No One Can Hear You Scream

The sound of pigeons flapping their stupid wings nearby had become Lloyd’s only entertainment.  The bright sun had become blistering, pressing heat against the blonde’s face.  His muscles has tightened, his arms had become sore, and he really, _really_ wanted nothing more than to change his position.

But he couldn’t, and it drove Lloyd crazy.

After being captured by Harumi and the Sons of Garmadon, Lloyd had been dreaming up possible ways his father would torture or even kill him when they would meet.  Being locked up in a bird cage wasn’t expected.  It was only the first hour of his imprisonment, and Lloyd felt like screaming. 

Every so often he would raise his eyes up to steal a glance at the bikers who stood there mocking him, and Lloyd could almost swear he saw Harumi and even Garmadon standing there at one point.  Lloyd was a huge claustrophobic, and he had discovered this years before when Morro had possessed his body.  _Even if I wasn’t claustrophobic, I would still be driven crazy,_ Lloyd thought to himself.

The cage limited most of Lloyd’s space, just enough for him to curl into ball, hugging his knees.  The low top of the cage seemed to always be holding Lloyd’s head down, and the inability to lift his head brought the usually strong and patient Green Ninja to a bit of a raging fit.  He slammed his shoulder against the side of the cage, mentally praying for it to break.  His powers had still not returned, nor did he expect them to.  Still, he wished more than anything that he could form green energy in his hands and blast the cage to pieces.

Not far from Lloyd, Garmadon and Harumi both were still there watching him from a balcony of the tower.  Harumi’s hands were folded behind her back, as she normally did to maintain the illusion that she had everything in her control.  Truthfully, however, her fingers were tapping back and forth against her palms rapidly, and she bit her bottom lip nervously, fighting the urge to lift a hand to her face and play with her hair. 

Garmadon stood emotionless beside her, standing so close that she could practically hear his chalked breathing, the low growl in his throat that emitted ever so quietly.  Harumi’s eyes shifted down to the Dark Emperor’s hands, which spontaneously flickered with his purple energy.

Garmadon was supposed to be happy…right?

Harumi would be lying if she said she didn’t feel horrible about this.  Yes, she still felt a hatred for the blonde boy in the cage, but she felt that even he didn’t deserve this.  She thought about would it would be like if she were in that position, screaming and struggling to straighten her own neck.  Garmadon’s recent methods had all been very…questionable, but this was new.

This was downright _evil._

_What did you expect, Harumi?_ She lectured herself.  _You resurrected a part-Oni._

Her thoughts were broken by the sound of Lloyd letting out a shaky, hesitant yell.  It wasn’t very loud, in fact it grew quieter in the middle as if Lloyd wished he could take it back.  Harumi knew Lloyd wasn’t just trying to be strong in front of his city – he was trying to appear strong for his _father._

Lloyd’s yell changed to shaky, heavy breaths before leading to another, louder yell.  The Green Ninja’s feet kicked back at the cage, his arms raising above his head as if to stretch the height of it.  Sweat dripped down his face and pooled onto the floor beside his knees, and he reached down to pull at his gi, wishing that he could just tear it off. 

“Ll-“ Harumi spoke without thinking, her hand reaching out ever so briefly before returning to her side.  She winced back, knowing that Garmadon would see her compassion as weakness.

_Strangely enough, the Emperor just stood there as he had for the whole time, watching his son convulse and shake like an animal.  His blood red eyes narrowed and his mouth began to curve into a bit of a smile before returning to a straight line._

“ _Grandfather, help me!”_ Lloyd’s shaky whisper had been more audible than he had intended, but he had no time to worry about it as he continued to pry at his clothes.  His arms struggled to reach far enough to untie the straps that held his armor plates onto his torso.  It was helpless, he was too cramped to remove any of his clothes, much less untie them to loosen how much they hugged him.

At this point, his skin had become red, the heat becoming unbearable.  Lloyd screamed again, banging his body against the metal bars, barely having enough room to do even that. 

“ _We’ve_ seen enough,” Garmadon finally spoke, looking down at Harumi, who simply nodded her head and began following him into the tower. 

Lloyd’s screams of agony stopped her once more, and she took one more look back at the boy before being called again by Garmadon.

* * *

It was at least a half hour past midnight, and Harumi finally, after fighting against herself as she lied sleepless in bed, slipped out of her quarters and back to that same balcony where she had the best view of the cage.  After gaining the attention of the bikers who acted as bodyguards outside of her room, she motioned for them to follow her, and they readily obeyed.

Lloyd was just as sleepless as she was – probably a lot worse – but his shaking had calmed down and his screams had become tired breaths.  His eyelids felt heavier than anything Lloyd had carried in his life, but he couldn’t submit to sleep without the strain of his body waking him abruptly.

“What do you want us to do, your highness?” one of the bikers asked Harumi. 

“I want you to remove his armor, and his tunic…whatever you have to remove so that he will stop overheating,” Harumi whispered, her eyes never leaving the cage.  “Emperor Garmadon cannot know about this, so I want you to redress him before sunrise.”

“Yes, ma’m, but…” the other biker chuckled nervously.  “Why are we doing this for him?  We worked so hard to capture him, and now we’re showing him sympathy?”

“I am _not_ showing him sympathy!”  Harumi’s glare sent daggers at the biker, and he stumbled back in fear.  Despite her small size, she stood as an intimidating figure, not to mention she was one of the most feared individuals in Ninjago at the moment.  “Tell no one what we did here, and you’ll be fine.  _Don’t_ disappoint me.”

With that, she turned around on her heel and walked off back to her room, still feeling a horrible burden on her heart. 

As she walked, the two bikers climbed up to the cage and reached in to untie the straps of Lloyd’s armor, discarding the pieces on the floor.  Lloyd’s belts and sashes were removed next, and soon Lloyd’s short-sleeved undershirt was all he wore, allowing that wonderful late night air to cool down his upper body.

Lloyd was still incredibly thirsty, and still very tired, but he at least was now cooler than before, and hopefully wouldn’t die of heat stroke.  Even with his tired eyes, he easily made out the figure of that white-haired, black-clad girl as she walked away, and he couldn’t help but smile at the thought that even Harumi’s cold heart had some good left inside.

But yeah, the cage still hurt like hell.

 

 

****

****

 

 


End file.
